Quality Assurance Framework for Workforce Australia

Workforce Australia commenced on 4 July 2022. Employment service providers who were awarded licenses are now required to undergo a Quality Principles Audit and either certification to ISO 9001:2015 or the National Standards for Disability Services – Disability Employment Services (NSDS DES).

CERTIFICATION ASSESSMENT PROCESS

The Framework

The Quality Assurance Framework contains 7 quality principles with key performance measures:

1. Governance;
2. Leadership;
3. Staff;
4. Participants;
5. Labour market, Employers and community;
6. Operational effectiveness; and
7. Continual improvement.

QAF certification is a three-year cycle with annual surveillance assessments. During this time the provider must also maintain their certification against either ISO 9001 or National Standards for Disability Services – Disability Employment Services (NSDS DES).

Certification / Recertification Audit

Surveillance Audit

Certification Outcome

Certification / Recertification audit

In this process you complete a self-assessment against the National Standards for Mental Health Services (NSMHS) in advance of your on-site audit. We provide you with the self-assessment tool and implementation guidelines. The tool will assist you in developing an improvement plan to address any criteria which are not met. Your completed self-assessment and development plans are provided to us prior to commencement of the on-site audit.

Surveillance audit

Surveillance audits are completed in years two and three and comprise a self-assessment review and onsite assessment. Fifty per cent of the key performance measures are assessed.

Certification outcome

IHCA Certification will provide you with the final Quality Principles Report for you to submit to the Department along with the completed self-assessment and your ISO 9001:2015 or NSDS-DES report. Following the satisfactory close-out of any corrective actions (if applicable), your certification will be awarded by the Department.